Canton’s Darius Robinson declares he’s 2024 draft’s best D-lineman
Darius Robinson isn’t shy; he’s just concise.
Rapidly replying to more than 50 questions in under 20 minutes during his media session at the NFL scouting combine Wednesday morning, the Missouri defender and Michigan native managed to make one point clear — he believes he’s the top defensive lineman in this draft class.
“I would say that I’m the best,” Robinson said. “I play every position (up front). I can play from a zero to a nine (technique). I’m going to play physical, I’m going to run, I’m going hit somebody. I can do everything and I just want an opportunity to just put my cleats in the ground and play as fast as I can.”
Robinson’s opinion is rooted in his versatility, but NFL evaluators will be just as — if not more — interested in his untapped potential. Remember, he hasn’t been playing football all that long. He initially had basketball aspirations, but realized he wasn’t good enough to play collegiately, at least not enough to earn a scholarship.
So he transferred to Canton (Mich.) High School to give football a try as a junior, to see if the sport could be a path to a college education and a brighter future. Had football been a bust, it would have been the military. Robinson noted several members of his family have served, and he was eyeing the Marines as his next option.
From defending the goal line to defending the country.
As it turned out, football ended up being a pretty good fit. His first offer came from the University of Toledo. He ultimately had a flood of choices, from Boston College to Michigan State to Colorado, before Missouri came calling.
The build-up at Mizzou was slow. He came in at 245 pounds but bulked up to 305 to play defensive tackle. He played fewer than 50 defensive snaps as a freshman in 2019 and didn’t crack 300 reps until 2022. He thought about declaring for the draft after that season, and probably would have been selected in the later rounds, but instead went back for a fifth-year to try his hand at edge rushing.
It was another wise decision. Dropping 20 pounds, Robinson showed he could be a force on the edge in 2023, racking up 42 pressures and 8.0 sacks in 12 games, while continuing to be a dom